Add your thoughts using the KWL approach. Thinking about Game Mechanics, Games-Based Learning or gamification.....
K = What do you know?
I play a lot of board games and some video games. I have explored a few games with a view to using them with classes, but few have looked good after investigation - often the educational content is too simplified to actually cover anything useful, or the amount of effort/time to use the game, seems to not warrant its inclusion. Games I have looked at include Genius Games DNA card game. Various flash games set up by Nobel.org (The DNA game is good and I have set it as a year 12 homework activity). A recent kickstarter game on immunology.
W = What do you want to learn?
How to produce meaningful learning experiences which are time appropriate which use game mechanics to enthuse, engage and help develop learning
L = What have you learned? (we'll do this last one later)
Some nice ideas about what makes a game successful and what makes an activity fun. I also liked discovering the VW website looking at using fun to alter behavior for the better. Nice to get a distinction between gamefication and GBL.
I also enjoyed the salutary lesson that twitter's gamification may have actually reduced intended functionality!
Reflection
Add your thoughts here and also add to the KWL notes above, where appropriate.
Now that I am near the end of Level 3. I feel I have developed some interesting and useful knowledge about GBL and its benefits. Unfortunately I do not feel greatly upskilled as to how to develop such ideas in my own classroom.
To gamify class activities may have some benefit, but I suspect not much unless extended greatly. To play lip service to the ideas, would probably be wasting my own and my students' time.
It has also become apparent that finding meaningful game experiences in my own subject (rather than attempting to create them myself, requires a lot of careful reviewing.
Nicely however, the course has engaged me nicely with the ideas, so I am keen to explore beyond what I have done in the course.
Level 2
Where do I start?
Identify some learning outcomes that you will be visiting with your students in upcoming lessons. Note down here some ways they might benefit from gamification. I'm not sure if any of my present outcomes will be appropriate to gamefication - maybe genetics? Electric circuits? Really not sure/convinced.
Observe and reflect
After playing a game what are your personal thoughts about the design and elements involved and how any of these could help you in thinking about doing the same in a learning activity?
I played "electric box" - an online flash game with an energy change/electricity puzzle basis. The puzzles are nice and science connected. However, the way the circuits "worked" was wrong and would reinforce misconceptions. Which was a huge shame.
Level 3
Premiers Reading Challenge Reflection
Write your thoughts here and or print a rubric and circle the appropriate areas you notice as you review the rules of this gamified experience. (feel free to scan or photograph and upload your rubic to this page.)
This has a very low intensity of game related content. Much more gamification than GBL, and a very low level GBL too. It contained a goal, rules and simple certificate based rewards. But nothing to really engage, give ongoing feedback or skill development.
Zombie Learning Reflection
Write your thoughts here and or print a rubric and circle the appropriate areas you notice as you review the rules of this gamified experience.
(feel free to scan or photograph and upload your rubic to this page.)
This had a much more intense use of GBL, with ongoing activities, goals, feedback and story development creating a much more immersive game/learning environment.
You Try/ A final reflection
Add your finished plan here as an upload file or as text you have cut and pasted into the wiki. We would love to give you feedback to help you get started. (remember it does not need be perfect, it is a first attempt). Alternatively it can be emailed to us instead.
Lesson Outcomes:
Studying Classical Genetics
Description of Audience:
Year 12 HSC Biology Students
Time Constraints:
Time is very short in the biology course. So this could only be used as a lesson part and homework, or a series of reinforcing homeworks,
Game Elements:
Genetics of Lycanthropy/werewolfishness.
Text based story with a werewolf coming in for genetic councelling. Developing a family tree and working out the genetic basis for the condition. And giving advice on the chance of their children having the condition.
Scores based on each step of the analysis - leading to an award of the "order of the moon" or something?
Or maybe a food based reward - moon cakes?
Fun check:
Problem Based "hard fun" on the genetic analysis. Easy fun on jokey story about werewolves. Serious fun when connecting to real genetic disorders. Could do it as a group activity to do social fun.
Have you filled in the evaluation? Have you found the bonus level content?
Rewards & Badges
Level 1
KWL (Levels 1 and 3)
Add your thoughts using the KWL approach. Thinking about Game Mechanics, Games-Based Learning or gamification.....K = What do you know?
I play a lot of board games and some video games. I have explored a few games with a view to using them with classes, but few have looked good after investigation - often the educational content is too simplified to actually cover anything useful, or the amount of effort/time to use the game, seems to not warrant its inclusion. Games I have looked at include Genius Games DNA card game. Various flash games set up by Nobel.org (The DNA game is good and I have set it as a year 12 homework activity). A recent kickstarter game on immunology.
W = What do you want to learn?
How to produce meaningful learning experiences which are time appropriate which use game mechanics to enthuse, engage and help develop learning
L = What have you learned? (we'll do this last one later)
Some nice ideas about what makes a game successful and what makes an activity fun. I also liked discovering the VW website looking at using fun to alter behavior for the better. Nice to get a distinction between gamefication and GBL.
I also enjoyed the salutary lesson that twitter's gamification may have actually reduced intended functionality!
Reflection
Add your thoughts here and also add to the KWL notes above, where appropriate.Now that I am near the end of Level 3. I feel I have developed some interesting and useful knowledge about GBL and its benefits. Unfortunately I do not feel greatly upskilled as to how to develop such ideas in my own classroom.
To gamify class activities may have some benefit, but I suspect not much unless extended greatly. To play lip service to the ideas, would probably be wasting my own and my students' time.
It has also become apparent that finding meaningful game experiences in my own subject (rather than attempting to create them myself, requires a lot of careful reviewing.
Nicely however, the course has engaged me nicely with the ideas, so I am keen to explore beyond what I have done in the course.
Level 2
Where do I start?
Identify some learning outcomes that you will be visiting with your students in upcoming lessons. Note down here some ways they might benefit from gamification.I'm not sure if any of my present outcomes will be appropriate to gamefication - maybe genetics? Electric circuits? Really not sure/convinced.
Observe and reflect
After playing a game what are your personal thoughts about the design and elements involved and how any of these could help you in thinking about doing the same in a learning activity?
I played "electric box" - an online flash game with an energy change/electricity puzzle basis. The puzzles are nice and science connected. However, the way the circuits "worked" was wrong and would reinforce misconceptions. Which was a huge shame.
Level 3
Premiers Reading Challenge Reflection
Write your thoughts here and or print a rubric and circle the appropriate areas you notice as you review the rules of this gamified experience. (feel free to scan or photograph and upload your rubic to this page.)This has a very low intensity of game related content. Much more gamification than GBL, and a very low level GBL too. It contained a goal, rules and simple certificate based rewards. But nothing to really engage, give ongoing feedback or skill development.
Zombie Learning Reflection
Write your thoughts here and or print a rubric and circle the appropriate areas you notice as you review the rules of this gamified experience.(feel free to scan or photograph and upload your rubic to this page.)
This had a much more intense use of GBL, with ongoing activities, goals, feedback and story development creating a much more immersive game/learning environment.
You Try/ A final reflection
Add your finished plan here as an upload file or as text you have cut and pasted into the wiki. We would love to give you feedback to help you get started. (remember it does not need be perfect, it is a first attempt). Alternatively it can be emailed to us instead.Lesson Outcomes:
Studying Classical Genetics
Description of Audience:
Year 12 HSC Biology Students
Time Constraints:
Time is very short in the biology course. So this could only be used as a lesson part and homework, or a series of reinforcing homeworks,
Game Elements:
Genetics of Lycanthropy/werewolfishness.
Text based story with a werewolf coming in for genetic councelling. Developing a family tree and working out the genetic basis for the condition. And giving advice on the chance of their children having the condition.
Scores based on each step of the analysis - leading to an award of the "order of the moon" or something?
Or maybe a food based reward - moon cakes?
Fun check:
Problem Based "hard fun" on the genetic analysis. Easy fun on jokey story about werewolves. Serious fun when connecting to real genetic disorders. Could do it as a group activity to do social fun.
Have you filled in the evaluation? Have you found the bonus level content?